Donations, help sought for back-to-school event in DeKalb

Shaw Media file photo
Hakeem Olaniran, then 4, of DeKalb picks up a backpack to give to his cousin at the Back to School Bash on Aug. 19, 2017, at the DeKalb Park District Sports and Recreation Center, 1765 S. Fourth St.

DeKALB – In five years, a school supplies giveaway has gone from helping out 300 youngsters to more than 1,200, and it needs your help to keep growing.

“There’s still room for more,” said Treveda Redmond, a former Clinton Rosette Middle School teacher who has continued to organize a back-to-school bash in DeKalb despite her current role as the principal of Beyer Elementary School in Rockford.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Sports and Recreation Center, 1765 S. Fourth St., where children will receive backpacks stuffed with school supplies.

That’s where you come in. Redmond said most of the 15-plus organizations that participated last year are back in the fold, but more help is sought – whether it be donations of cash or school supplies, volunteers, or businesses willing to host a school supply drive.

Redmond said families simply can show up for the event and receive a backpack, and that no residency or financial checks are done.

The event is run through New Hope Baptist Church, 1201 Twombly Road, DeKalb, whose volunteers help stuff the backpacks, usually the day before the bash. To help fill those backpacks, email Redmond at trevedamichelle@yahoo.com.